Tiny Eggs

[splat 0]

I have one hen that I really like, She is a mauve normal, of good breeding.

I got here when she was 12 months old, I put her down when she looked readyabout 18 months old, she laid 5 normal eggs but all infertile which I blamed the cock, which was right, any way I fostered babies under the pair hopefully to bring them on, they raised them perfectly and then she went down again with the same cock bird, she layed one normal egg and one tiny little egg about the size of my tiny finger nail and I have small hands kind of.

We put her back in the flight and waited for a few months until it was warmer and tryed her again. Well 1 tiny egg again.

This year I put her down to try one more time and 1 tiny egg again. the egg is that small you hardly see it in the nest.

I have talked to a couple of breeders about it and they reckon they have never heard of it before. Greg thinks that maybe before we got her she might of been egg bound.

They get calcium in their diet so that's not the problem, she is in top condition when I put her down, so that can't be the problem,

So I don't know, does anyone have any idea. Please advice. :excl:

[*Nerwen* 0]

Did you stop her after each of these small eggs?If these is the case I would be wondering if the next one in the clutch would be small as well. Has it always been with the same male?

[splat 0]

The first time she laid they were nornal eggs, the second round with the same cock, one normal egg and then 1 tiny egg with no yolk . I stopped her then and put her out till this year. I put her down a little while ago with a different cock and all she laid was 1 tiny egg, I don't know how long it was there because you can pairly see it, it has know yolk. She is back in the flight looking as happy as Larry and healthy, she doesn't look sick her cere is normal, I guess she is no good.

[KathyW 0]

I've had hens lay the *occasional* small egg, and the occasional whopper! It IS unusual thou, especially for one bird to keep throwing small eggs.

 

I wonder if that sterile cock "gave" her something that has upset her reproductive system ...

 

KathyW.

[splat 0]

I don't know but I do not have any more, he was a beautiful Danish Pied show quality, but I think the breeder knew he was infertile and passed him on. But he was worth trying.

But he was very healthy looking but when I had him he was about 5 yrs old mostly passed it. I gave him to a friend for a pet and she still has him. He was a very freindly and quite gentleman. So he made an excellent pet.

But as for the hen I think I will give up on her. She just stay in the flight. OR give her until next year, and if nothing happens, call it quits with her for breeding reasons. But still she is a good foster mum, so I could use for that reason.

[Norm 0]

With chooks you often get a real small egg, I have put it down to the last egg of a batch & then later they lay normal size again. But with a Budgie that was laying normal eggs & now hasn’t laid anything else but the unusual size eggs, would suggest to me that something has gone wrong in side with the oviduct system, sadly I would think you are right that she may no longer be any good. I had a hen that I bought & she laid only real small eggs, but they had yokes, but were infertile, in her case I put it down to being too old, but yours is still young.

[splat 0]

Yeh Norm I think she is no good for breeding anymore, I went on the net yesterday and found a couple of things which could cause it.

 

1. inflamed oviduct

 

2. Chronic infectious condition of the ovary

 

3. cancerous or degenerative ovary in age birds, (but she is not aged).

 

4. Aberrent yolk into the peritoneal cavity, which I am sure it is not, because this leads to death pretty fast.

 

The hen is not sick she looks very healthy.

[Sailorwolf 0]

Saffy had that last condition (well the vet and I assumed this to be the case) and it is not always fatal, because when the egg passed into the peritoneal cavity it does not harden and is generaly pretty sterile. In Saffy's case, she just reabsorbed it.

[**KAZ** 0]

On the subject of tiny eggs, I have just checked a showbirds nestbox. She has 4 great eggs and one half the size of a finch egg !!